Bossnass

My laptop has died a long-overdue death. I want a portable lan comptuer to replace it. I can't afford a new laptop at the standards I want so I might put together a desktop. Mobility is important so I'm thinking of a suitcase mod.

My question is about the durability of components. Are portable parts (those designed for laptops) built to be more durable, or just built smaller/maybe cooler?

I'm not talking about dropping hard drives or throwing the computer into the parking lot after I've been caught cheating. More like shock concerns. Laptops are carried in padded bags and I never had to hesitate when I lightly tossed the bag into the back seat of the car or packed it into the trunk. It seems to me though, that with the more ridgid feel of a desktop (everthing seated on the mobo, mobo firmly screwed to case tray, case tray connected to rigid frame and panels), that a much smaller shock impact would damage components.

Say I set a suitcase PC in the trunk of my car and I start driving to my friends house. I have to slam on the brakes, so the computer slides forward and impacts the front of the trunk. Is my hard drive likely to be damaged? Has the mobo been shocked enough to quit on me?

Or is it a case where I should wrap the case in a blanket, and very carefuly put it between the back seat and the passenger seat, nice and secure, because they are so damn delicate?